Next Thursday (13 November) the ECtHR will hand down AR v Poland, concerning the Convention compliance of Poland’s restrictive post-2020 abortion law. One to watch.

Being handed down next week: Keir and Daly v Scottish Ministers UKSC judgment on whether Scottish courts’ rules relating to admissibility of sexual history evidence breach Art 6 ECHR We know the answer is no, but written reasons to come next week supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2...

Lord Hodge: “Decisions can give rise to political controversy. In this environment it is essential that judges leave any views on politics or policy which they may have outside the door of the court and approach their task as a purely legal exercise.” Hmmmmmm. supremecourt.uk/uploads/spee...

In a surprising judgment, the ECtHR has found that Estonia’s blanket ban on smoking in prisons overstepped the margin of appreciation and violated Article 8 ECHR. A bare majority (4-3) with a strong dissent from Judge Pavli in particular. hudoc.echr.coe.int?i=001-245684

I have a case comment on the case of Hayes v United Kingdom (on whether removing someone to a third party state where they would face life without parole would breach the Convention) in the latest edition of the European Human Rights Law Review, available on WestLaw. uk.westlaw.com/Document/IFA...

The High Court has ruled, amongst other things, that the power deriving from Haralambous to order a CMP is a common law power, not a statutory power

Jones v Police Federation, Employment Tribunal, Case No 1604160/2024 (28 August 2025) The claimant, a police Branch Secretary, was a non-contractual office holder and didn’t fall within the category entitled to whistleblower protections in Employment Rights Act 1996. BUT the tribunal found…

New blog post from me where I look at this summer's UKSC decision in Andryciewicz, which concerns extradition and human rights. I argue that the case has cited and applied frequently; it has brought about a conservative approach; and that successful Art 8 defences are now exceptionally rare.

Next week the European Court of Human Rights will hand down Vainik v Estonia: does a complete ban on prisoners smoking breach the ECHR? hudoc.echr.coe.int/app/conversi...

⚖️Judgment Greenpeace Nordic and Others v. Norway ➡️Deferring environmental impact assessment in respect of licences granting petroleum exploration did not breach the Convention hudoc.echr.coe.int/fre-press?i=... #ECHR #CEDH #ECHRpress

The IPT has dismissed complaints made by two Guantanamo Bay detainees alleging public law illegality by UK security agencies in their ill-treatment by the US: www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/u... The substantive findings/reasons for dismissing all substantive grounds are contained in a CLOSED judgment.

Lord Richards announces his retirement from the UK Supreme Court in June 2026 supremecourt.uk/news/lord-ri...

Lord Sales appointed as the next Deputy President of the UK Supreme Court supremecourt.uk/news/lord-sa...

A speech by Lord Sales on the "past and future" of the European Court of Human Rights: "the arc towards process-based review seems, therefore, to be justified" supremecourt.uk/uploads/spee...

An interesting decision, explored here by Gabriel, relating to the rationality standard, "anxious scrutiny" and permanent school exclusions. Some quick thoughts from me follow 1/4

This power isn't discretionary or enabling. The clause would *automatically* remove ILR if any of the conditions are satisfied. Parliament can do this, but when it previously has, it's been in unusual/extreme situations. Like WW1 and the deprivation of titles from certain foreign nationals.

Via @sundersays.bsky.social the Conservatives' draft legislation - absolutely clear that it applies to (and is intended to apply to) legal permanent residents claiming state pension (on the basis of their contributions) or child benefit for British kids. publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbi...

Article 8 ECHR and delays in determining asylum applications administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com/2025/10/21/a...

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home... Hmmmm. "The Home Secretary has said it is unacceptable for a European human rights watchdog to “question the validity” of the Supreme Court ruling". Except the Commissioner didn't question the "validity" of the Supreme Court ruling, he questioned its fairness.

W v GRP: the functioning of gender recognition law – Administrative Court Blog share.google/5u9qUA5aGak1...

Court of Appeal permits Palestine Action proscription challenge to proceed on two further grounds and dismisses Home Secretary’s alternative remedy argument administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com/2025/10/17/c...

Roger Hallam and others related to Just Stop Oil have been refused Permission to Appeal to the UK Supreme Court regarding the length of their sentences and whether they are compatible with Articles 10 and 11 ECHR - the Court of Appeal's decision stands. www.supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2...

Procedural rigour, promptness, and “protective issuing” in judicial review administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com/2025/10/16/p...

When does anxious scrutiny apply? Divergent views on the High Court administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com/2025/10/10/w...

New legal term, new blog post on the Administrative Court Blog. This case concerns refugee reunion rights: refugee adults get them automatically; refugee children do not. Is this policy lawful? The High Court said "yes", but the Court of Appeal has disagreed in one important respect...

On October 2025, the UK Supreme Court will be asked to re-consider its judgment in a case commonly referred to as "Cheshire West". In this blog, @clarkdaniel.bsky.social explains the background to the case. openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2025/10/07/r...

My piece for UKCLA on how much of the debate concerning human rights in the UK is about vibes... and wrestling. #ECHR #HRA ukconstitutionallaw.org/2025/10/09/a...

More in the breathless, breaking stop-the-presses, and not at all confected story, that judges, before they were judges, were involved in practising law. Take 5 seconds to appreciate just how hard into "swivel-eyed loon" Robert Jenrick is being allowed to lean: www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...

Cassandra Somers-Joce: A New Chapter for Governmental Candour? The Public Office (Accountability) Bill ukconstitutionallaw.org/2025/10/06/c...

‘The​ current members of the Supreme Court, ten men and two women, all of them white, seem to regard the Human Rights Act as an unwelcome remnant of a past era.’ In his final piece for the LRB, Conor Gearty writes on the Supreme Court’s reinterpretation of the HRA: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Here’s the Wolfson Report recommending the UK leaves the ECHR www.conservatives.com/wolfson-fina... Take a shot every time Policy Exchange is cited as authority for a dubious legal proposition and you’ll be drunk before the end of the first chapter

A case note by Leah Trueblood and me on this summer’s Tortoise Media v Conservative Party decision has been published in Judicial Review. Open Access link here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

The Grand Chamber of the European Court seems to be signalling its approval of a narrower conception of standing than it endorsed in previous cases (as pointed out by Judge Vehabović in his dissenting opinion)

Hora v the United Kingdom: Strasbourg’s New Ruling on UK’s Prisoner Voting Ban ukhumanrightsblog.com/2025/10/01/h...

For human rights scholars and court-watchers, here's a thread of some forthcoming ECHR/HRA in the UK Supreme Court's docket for the upcoming legal year (2025-26). I think there are (at least) six cases worth keeping an eye on.

Huh. The ECtHR is now publishing basic data relating to its issuing of interim measures. The stats shown here confirm how exceptional successful applications really are.

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled, 20 years after the landmark Hirst case, that an applicant prisoner's inability to vote in a UK General Election did not breach the Convention. Hora v United Kingdom (23 September 2025): hudoc.echr.coe.int?i=001-244851 Some quick thoughts from me: 1/7

Something new from Sue Bright and me on the role of external aids in statutory construction blogs.law.ox.ac.uk/housing-afte...

New case against the UK communicated by the ECtHR: does the inability of UK courts to remove married parents' parental responsibility breach the Convention? The court would need to reconsider its 1998 decision in Smallwood v UK (hudoc.echr.coe.int?i=001-4442) hudoc.echr.coe.int?i=001-244954

Interesting remarks from McCloskey LJ on the role of dignity in the Dillon judgment "a fundamental and universally recognised right of impeccable lineage and credentials has veritably been resurrected. There is surely ample scope for its development in both our legal system and further afield."

1. I’m not sure this “personal observation” from Hodge is at all wise 2. It’s Lord Hodge, not Lord Justice Hodge

For the day that's in it, read Conor Gearty's piece from 2014 on the fantasies that underpin English public law: ukconstitutionallaw.org/2014/11/13/c...

Conor was an incredible man, a good friend, and so much fun, with a great mind and ability to argue and persuade and take a stand on issues when it was needed. He'll be so missed and my heart goes out to Aoife and the kids and his whole family. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anam

this is truly terrible news. a great scholar and thinker who used his voice and academic standing for all the right causes.

The news of Conor Gearty's death has just been announced and I'm not coping. He was a mentor and the pole star in my constitutional thinking. He was also a great friend and fantastic fun to be around. I'm heartbroken for Aoife and the children.

Conor Gearty was, without hesitation, the best academic writer I’ve read. He was also a thoroughly decent and kind human being who fearlessly used his position speak truth to power. Conor did law, politics and academia the right way and he will be sorely missed. Ní bheidh a leithéid arís ann.

“Most moral army in the world” latest www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Public Law is looking make several appointments to its Editorial Committee - details etc ⬇️ - expressions of interest to [email protected] by 31 October 2025.

I have a new Open Access piece in the KLJ called "Following wrongly decided precedent" Sometimes judges in UK courts think a precedent is wrong, and have the power to depart from it, BUT choose not to do so. Here, I give 12 reasons why they might do this. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....